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Liz is not just ANY page turner. Liz is the Heifetz, the Pavarotti, the veritable Yo-Yo Ma of page turners. She is the kind of page turned who, if I was completely fumbling a difficult passage, would suddenly have an uncontrollable puking fit so as to draw attention away from my screwup. She also knows exactly how many pieces of sushi you might need at intermission. At least that’s my experience; your mileage may vary One last bit of clothing advice for page turners: No dangly loose jackets. I once played a whole violin recital with silk caressing my left cheek at every turn. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but it was kind of distracting.

Once I received a call offering me a decent sum to turn for a pianist for a chamber music concert. I was pleased to finally get paid for something I’d been doing pro bono for years. I got there early and met with the pianist. He seemed high-strung but some people are before a concert. I clarified repeat issues with him and he assured me he was a clear nodder.The concert began and I soon saw why he was so high-strung; his mediocre technique and limited musicality made him a bad choice to play the well-known Beethoven and Brahms trios he was tackling (almost literally, football player style). We got towards the end of the first page and he did not nod. I figured, Maybe he likes memorize the beginning of the next page and have late turns. Nope as we reached the last two beats he abruptly turned his heard toward me and, in a low, gruff voice barked, Turn! This disagreeable ritual was repeated for most of the performance. I thought it might have been less disruptive for him and the audience to nod as he said. No such luck. I made it through and didn’t mess it up, but he really unnerved me and I dare say I was very deserving of my pay that evening.